a transparent, odorless, tasteless liquid, a compound of hydrogen and oxygen, H2O, freezing at 32°F or 0°C and boiling at 212°F or 100°C, that in a more or less impure state constitutes rain, oceans, lakes, rivers, etc.: it contains 11.188 percent hydrogen and 88.812 percent oxygen, by weight.
2.
a special form or variety of this liquid, as rain.
3.
Often, waters.this liquid in an impure state as obtained from a mineral spring: Last year we went to Marienbad for the waters.
4.
the liquid content of a river, inlet, etc., with reference to its relative height, esp. as dependent on tide: a difference of 20 feet between high and low water.
5.
the surface of a stream, river, lake, ocean, etc.: above, below, or on the water.
6.
waters,
a.
flowing water, or water moving in waves: The river's mighty waters.
b.
the sea or seas bordering a particular country or continent or located in a particular part of the world: We left San Diego and sailed south for Mexican waters.
7.
a liquid solution or preparation, esp. one used for cosmetic purposes: lavender water; lemon water.
8.
Often, waters.Medicine/Medical.
a.
amniotic fluid.
b.
the bag of waters; amnion: Her water broke at 2 a.m.
9.
any of various solutions of volatile or gaseous substances in water: ammonia water.
10.
any liquid or aqueous organic secretion, exudation, humor, or the like, as tears, perspiration, or urine.
11.
Finance. fictitious assets or the inflated values they give to the stock of a corporation.
12.
a wavy, lustrous pattern or marking, as on silk fabrics or metal surfaces.
13.
(formerly) the degree of transparency and brilliancy of a diamond or other precious stone.
14.
take water, (of a boat) to allow water to enter through leaks or portholes or over the side.
–verb (used with object)
15.
to sprinkle, moisten, or drench with water: to water the flowers; to water a street.
16.
to supply (animals) with water for drinking.
17.
to furnish with a supply of water, as a ship.
18.
to furnish water to (a region), as by streams; supply (land) with water, as by irrigation: The valley is watered by a branch of the Colorado River. Our land is watered by the All-American Canal.
19.
to dilute, weaken, soften, or adulterate with, or as with, water (often fol. by down): to water soup; to water down an unfavorable report.
20.
Finance. to issue or increase the par value of (shares of stock) without having the assets to warrant doing so (often fol. by down).
21.
to produce a wavy, lustrous pattern, marking, or finish on (fabrics, metals, etc.): watered silk.
–verb (used without object)
22.
to discharge, fill with, or secrete water or liquid, as the eyes when irritated, or as the mouth at the sight or thought of tempting food.
23.
to drink water, as an animal.
24.
to take in a supply of water, as a ship: Our ship will water at Savannah.
–adjective
25.
of or pertaining to water in any way: a water journey.
26.
holding, or designed to hold, water: a water jug.
27.
worked or powered by water: a water turbine.
28.
heating, pumping, or circulating water (often used in combination): hot-water furnace; city waterworks.
29.
used in or on water: water skis.
30.
containing or prepared with water, as for hardening or dilution: water mortar.
31.
located or occurring on, in, or by water: water music; water frontage.
32.
residing by or in, or ruling over, water: water people; water deities.
—Idioms
33.
above water, out of embarrassment or trouble, esp. of a financial nature: They had so many medical bills that they could hardly keep their heads above water.
34.
break water,
a.
to break the surface of the water by emerging from it.
b.
Swimming. to break the surface of the water with the feet, esp. in swimming the breaststroke doing the frog kick.
c.
Medicine/Medical. to break the amniotic sac prior to parturition.
35.
by water, by ship or boat: to send goods by water.
Origin: bef. 900; (n.) ME; OE wæter; c. D water, G Wasser; akin to ON vain, Goth wato, Hittite watar, Gk hýdōr; (v.) ME wateren, OE wæterian, deriv. of the n.
A clear, colorless, odorless, and tasteless liquid, H2O, essential for most plant and animal life and the most widely used of all solvents. Freezing point 0°C (32°F); boiling point 100°C (212°F); specific gravity (4°C) 1.0000; weight per gallon (15°C) 8.338 pounds (3.782 kilograms).
Any of various forms of water: waste water.
Naturally occurring mineral water, as at a spa. Often used in the plural.
A body of water such as a sea, lake, river, or stream.
waters A particular stretch of sea or ocean, especially that of a state or country: escorted out of British waters.
A supply of water: had to turn off the water while repairing the broken drain.
A water supply system.
Any of the fluids normally secreted from the body, such as urine, perspiration, tears, or saliva.
A fluid present in a body part in abnormal quantities as a result of injury or disease: water on the knee.
The fluid surrounding a fetus in the uterus; amniotic fluid.
The valuation of the assets of a business firm beyond their real value.
Stock issued in excess of paid-in capital.
The transparency and luster of a gem.
A level of excellence.
A body of water such as a sea, lake, river, or stream.
waters A particular stretch of sea or ocean, especially that of a state or country: escorted out of British waters.
A supply of water: had to turn off the water while repairing the broken drain.
A water supply system.
Any of the fluids normally secreted from the body, such as urine, perspiration, tears, or saliva.
A fluid present in a body part in abnormal quantities as a result of injury or disease: water on the knee.
The fluid surrounding a fetus in the uterus; amniotic fluid.
The valuation of the assets of a business firm beyond their real value.
Stock issued in excess of paid-in capital.
The transparency and luster of a gem.
A level of excellence.
A supply of water: had to turn off the water while repairing the broken drain.
A water supply system.
Any of the fluids normally secreted from the body, such as urine, perspiration, tears, or saliva.
A fluid present in a body part in abnormal quantities as a result of injury or disease: water on the knee.
The fluid surrounding a fetus in the uterus; amniotic fluid.
The valuation of the assets of a business firm beyond their real value.
Stock issued in excess of paid-in capital.
The transparency and luster of a gem.
A level of excellence.
Any of the fluids normally secreted from the body, such as urine, perspiration, tears, or saliva.
A fluid present in a body part in abnormal quantities as a result of injury or disease: water on the knee.
The fluid surrounding a fetus in the uterus; amniotic fluid.
The valuation of the assets of a business firm beyond their real value.
Stock issued in excess of paid-in capital.
The transparency and luster of a gem.
A level of excellence.
An aqueous solution of a substance, especially a gas: ammonia water.
A wavy finish or sheen, as of a fabric or metal.
The valuation of the assets of a business firm beyond their real value.
Stock issued in excess of paid-in capital.
The transparency and luster of a gem.
A level of excellence.
The transparency and luster of a gem.
A level of excellence.
v.
wa·tered, wa·ter·ing, wa·ters
v.
tr.
To pour or sprinkle water on; make wet: watered the garden.
To give drinking water to.
To lead (an animal) to drinking water.
To dilute or weaken by adding water: a bar serving whiskey that had been watered.
To give a sheen to the surface of (silk, linen, or metal).
To increase (the number of shares of stock) without increasing the value of the assets represented.
To irrigate (land).
v.
intr.
To produce or discharge fluid, as from the eyes.
To salivate in anticipation of food: The wonderful aroma from the kitchen makes my mouth water.
To take on a supply of water, as a ship.
To drink water, as an animal.
Phrasal Verb(s): water downTo reduce the strength or effectiveness of: "It seemed clear by late autumn that the ban would be significantly watered down or removed altogether before the trade bill became law"(George R. Packard).
Idiom(s):
above waterOut of difficulty or trouble.
Idiom(s):
water under the bridgeA past occurrence, especially something unfortunate, that cannot be undone or rectified: All that is now just water under the bridge.
[Middle English, from Old English wæter; see wed-1 in Indo-European roots.] wa'ter·er n.
Word History: Water is wet, even etymologically. The Indo-European root of water is *wed-, "wet." This root could appear in several guises—with the vowel e, as here, or as *wod-, or with no vowel between the w and d, yielding *ud-. All three forms of the root appear in English either in native or in borrowed words. From a form with a long e,*wēd-, which by Grimm's Law became *wēt- in Germanic, we have Old English wǣt, "wet," which became modern English wet. The form *wod-, in a suffixed form *wod-ōr, became *watar in Germanic and eventually water in modern English. From the form *ud- the Greeks got their word for water, hud-ōr, the source of our prefix hydro- and related words like hydrant. The suffixes *-rā and *-ros added to the form *ud- yielded the Greek word hudrā, "water snake" (borrowed into English as hydra), and the Germanic word *otraz, the source of our word otter, the water animal.
measure of quality of a diamond, 1607, from water (n.1), perhaps as a transl. of Arabic ma' "water," which also is used in the sense "lustre, splendor."
A clear, colorless, odorless, and tasteless liquid essential for most plant and animal life and the most widely used of all solvents. Freezing point 0°C (32°F); boiling point 100°C (212°F); specific gravity (4°C) 1.0000; weight per gallon (15°C) 8.338 pounds (3.782 kilograms).
Any of the liquids that are present in or passed out of the body, such as urine, perspiration, tears, or saliva.
The fluid that surrounds a fetus in the uterus; amniotic fluid.
An aqueous solution of a substance, especially a gas.
water (wô'tər) Pronunciation Key
A colorless, odorless compound of hydrogen and oxygen. Water covers about three-quarters of the Earth's surface in solid form (ice) and liquid form, and is prevalent in the lower atmosphere in its gaseous form, water vapor. Water is an unusually good solvent for a large variety of substances, and is an essential component of all organisms, being necessary for most biological processes. Unlike most substances, water is less dense as ice than in liquid form; thus, ice floats on liquid water. Water freezes at 0°C (32°F) and boils at 100°C (212°F). Chemical formula:H2O.
[waw-ter, wot-er] 
